HP invests in Haiti to turn ocean-bound plastic into new products.

“Our investments and partnerships in Haiti are a great example of the positive change that can happen when businesses and NGOs come together to support shared objectives.”

IT company HP will build a new washing line for plastic waste in Haiti that will allow it to produce recycled plastic locally for use in HP products.

The company said the plastic collected for the washing line would be prevented from reaching waterways and the ocean. It also said that the line would help enable Haiti to expand its recycling capabilities and compete better on the international plastics market.

In a statement, HP (@HP) said it has been actively reducing ocean-bound plastic in Haiti since 2016, when the company began partnering with NGO First Mile Coalition to convert plastic bottles into recycled material used in original HP ink cartridges.

According to HP, these efforts have already diverted around 716,000 pounds of plastic materials – or more than 25 million bottles – preventing this plastic from reaching oceans.

“Our investments and partnerships in Haiti are a great example of the positive change that can happen when businesses and NGOs come together to support shared objectives,” said Ellen Jackowski, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy and Innovation, HP.

She added: “We are keeping millions of plastic bottles from ever reaching our oceans, converting them into sustainable products, and creating new opportunities for local residents through job creation and education.”

HP also hopes the new washing line will create jobs and help provide local communities with educational programmes.

The coalition has set a goal to divert a minimum of 25,000 tonnes of plastics, the equivalent to 1.2 billion single-use plastic water bottles, from entering the ocean by the end of the year 2025.

“We are thrilled to see member company, HP, continue to ‘turn off the tap’ on ocean bound plastics,” said Dune Ives, Executive Director of Lonely Whale, the convening entity for NextWave Plastics.

He added: “There are currently more than 86 million metric tons of plastic in our ocean, and each year, over 8 million metric tons of additional plastic enters the ocean. HP’s collaborative approach in Haiti is driving meaningful impact to reduce marine litter today.

“We are proud that our member companies continue to scale commercially viable and operational ocean-bound plastics supply chains – keeping plastic in the economy and out of the ocean.”

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